Latest KFF Health News Stories
New CDC Chief On Board With Researching Gun Violence, Schumer Says
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that he hopes the CDC “will use some of their newly increased resources from the omnibus spending package to get this done.” In other public health news: the E. coli outbreak, cancer, amputations, our ancestors’ brains, and more.
About 1 in 59 U.S. children were identified as having autism in 2014. The report also found that white children are diagnosed with autism more often than black or Hispanic children, but the gap has closed dramatically.
Genealogy Site Helps Police Nab Alleged Golden State Killer, Raising Concerns Among Privacy Experts
Investigators took DNA collected years ago from one of the crime scenes and submitted it in some form to one or more commercial genealogy websites that have built up a vast database of consumer genetic information. The results led law enforcement to the suspected killer’s distant relatives.
Charleston, W.Va. is at the very heart of the opioid crisis, yet the city just shut down its needle exchange, which has been shown to save money and cut the spread of disease while not increasing drug use. Experts look at why such programs, which seem like no-brainers to many, struggle to gain public acceptance.
Executive Order Cutting Planned Parenthood Out Of Title X Family Planning Grants May Come Next Month
If the executive order is signed, federally qualified health centers would have to take on about 2 million extra patients for contraceptive services, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a women’s reproductive health policy think tank. Meanwhile in Texas, more women are getting health and family planning services after a statewide marketing push.
The groups are being accused of driving up the cost of health care by masking the price of drugs and forcing higher costs on the insurance companies that pass them along to consumers and employers. Meanwhile, KHN dissects President Donald Trump’s rhetoric over high drug costs.
Coalition Of 20 Republican-Led States Suing Over Health Law Asks For Temporary Injunction
In its larger lawsuit, states led by Texas and Wisconsin argue that because Congress eliminated the tax penalty the health law is now unconstitutional.
Beyond The Theatrics Of VA Nomination Controversy Lies A Leaderless And Troubled Agency
Dr. Ronny Jackson withdrew his name as nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaving advocates worried about the chaos and risks ahead for the agency that serves 9 million military veterans and employs 350,000 workers. “Veterans are losing six different ways right now, from all directions, and it’s discouragingly unclear why this keeps happening or what might make it stop,” said Joe Chenelly, national executive director for AMVETS.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers focus on these and other health topics.
Longer Looks: Fentanyl’s New Victims; Short-Term Insurance; And The Science Of Drinking
Each week, KHN’s Shefali Luthra finds interesting reads from around the Web.
Media outlets report on news from New York, Texas, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Arizona, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
As Minibrain Research Continues To Progress, Scientists Begin To Wade Through Ethical Complexities
Minibrains hold tremendous potential for unraveling the mysteries around neurological diseases, but scientists worry about creating a sentient entity in the lab. In other public health news: tuberculosis; medical research; medication to save children from pneumonia, malaria and other diseases; the immune system; and more.
E. Coli Outbreak Continues To Grow While Source Still Remains Unknown
The CDC and the FDA say the growing region in Yuma, Ariz. is the source, but no farm has been identified.
Should Doctors Offer Immunotherapy To Terminal Cancer Patients? Some Are Rolling The Dice
The chance immunotherapy will help some patients is small — but not zero. “Under rules of desperation oncology, you engage in a different kind of oncology than the rational guideline thought,” says Dr. Oliver Sartor. Other doctors won’t even bring up the treatment though, arguing that scientists first must gather rigorous evidence about the benefits and pitfalls.
Frustrated By Lack Of Research On Gun Violence, Governors Plan To ‘Take Matters Into Our Own Hands’
Seven governors announce that their states will form an “unprecedented” consortium to tap into resources at universities and state agencies to help build up research on gun violence.
Trendy Startups Are Raring To Ride Telemedicine Wave, But Reality Putting Damper On Enthusiasm
Murky state regulations, patients desperate for medication who deceive doctors about their symptoms, and state-level infectious disease agencies and public health departments that have made clear they don’t accept certain information by email are just some of the problems these new startups face.
But the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has accused the pharmaceutical wholesaler of exacerbating the opioid epidemic, is dismissing the company’s internal investigation findings. In other news on the crisis: Democrats are concerned lawmakers are moving too quickly on bipartisan opioid package; common pain relievers are found to be safer than opioids for controlling dental pain; the FDA concludes a painkiller that’s had a bad reputation for more than a decade is actually safer than previously thought; and more.
Roll Call takes a look at all that’s in store for the program in the upcoming months. Medicaid news comes out of Idaho, New Hampshire and New York, as well.
Simply publishing inflated retail prices, as listed on a hospital’s chargemaster, won’t be helpful to most patients, experts say. And legal professionals say that CMS might even lack the authority to require hospitals to post the charges at all.
